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994:
542:. They eventually played together for St Kilda for 12 years, during which time St Kilda won six premierships. When they retired, Ironmonger had taken 862 wickets in his grade cricket career in Melbourne, which as of 2021 is still the highest career tally for the competition, and Blackie had taken 803, which is still the second-highest tally.
444:, the youngest of ten children of a farmer. As a child, he lost the forefinger of his left hand (his bowling hand) in an industrial accident. He lived and worked on the family farm at Pine Mountain until he was 25. He played for the Albert club in Ipswich for 15 years, taking well over 1000 wickets at an average of fewer than six runs each.
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621:
Bert
Ironmonger also set the record for becoming the oldest Test cricketer to take his maiden five-wicket haul as well as a 6fer, 7fer in a Test innings at the age of 48 years and 312 days. He was also the oldest-ever Test cricketer to take a five-wicket haul as well as a 6fer in an innings of a Test
553:
while taking 5 for 93 off 39.5 eight-ball overs. The
Victorian team toured New Zealand at the end of the season, but Ironmonger declined his invitation as he could not take the required time off work. He did not re-establish his spot in the Victorian team until 1927–28, when he took 25 wickets in the
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467:. Thinking his age might tell against him – he was 31 – he gave his birth date as 1886, making him supposedly 27. The new date became his accepted birth date for the rest of his cricket career. In his second match for Melbourne, he took 9 for 30 against
479:, taking 32 wickets in Victoria's four matches at an average of 17.12, and Victoria won the competition. He was also the leading wicket-taker that season in the Melbourne competition, which his Melbourne club won in its first year in the competition.
638:. His ability to turn the ball even on the smoothest shirt-front wickets – wickets that break the heart and reputation of most bowlers – was amazing. On a wicket that assisted him or a crumbly or wet wicket, he was well nigh unplayable.
522:
in the Sydney competition in 1921–22 and took 51 wickets, more than anyone else in the competition. The pub was not a success, and late in 1922 the couple returned to
Melbourne, where he opened a tobacconist's shop in
570:
debut came in 1928–29 when he was 46. He played Test cricket until the age of 50, and first-class cricket until the age of 53. He is the fourth-oldest Test debutant and the second-oldest Test player.
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match at the age of 49 years and 311 days. He, too, set the record for becoming the oldest Test cricketer to take 10 wickets in a Test match at the age of 49 years and 311 days.
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late in the 1920–21 season, made up of leading players who had not made the Test team. He took 45 wickets on the tour at 13.17, and made his highest first-class score of 36
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but was hampered by injuries to his knees, and by his reputation as a poor batsman and fielder. He was not selected for the Test team, but he went with the
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After three seasons out of first-class cricket, Ironmonger returned to the
Victorian side during the 1924–25 season. In his second match, he took a
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527:. He lost his stock in a burglary in 1923 and could not afford to re-stock and start again, so he took a position with
896:"Records | Test matches | Bowling records | Oldest player to take a maiden five-wickets-in-an-innings | ESPN Cricinfo"
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921:"Records | Test matches | Bowling records | Oldest player to take five-wickets-in-an-innings | ESPN Cricinfo"
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I would say unhesitatingly that he stood head and shoulders above any other left-hander, not even excepting
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946:"Records | Test matches | Bowling records | Oldest player to take ten-wickets-in-a-match | ESPN Cricinfo"
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Unsurprisingly, because of his age, his Test career spanned only 14 matches, during which he took 74
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from 1928 to 1933, playing his last Test at the age of 50. He is the second-oldest Test cricketer.
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maintaining the municipal parks and gardens, where he remained for the rest of his working life.
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A graph showing
Ironmonger's Test career bowling statistics and how they varied over time.
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Shortly after the tour, on 14 May 1921, he married Bess
Tierney at St Brigid's Church in
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at an average of 29.12 (Don
Blackie took 31 at 22.22) and Victoria won the Shield.
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at the start of the 1922–23 season, along with another 40-year-old spin bowler,
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of 17.97. In that time, though he achieved some outstanding results.
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Ironmonger's contemporary, the
Australian Test batsman and captain
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at the age of 27. After a few matches for
Queensland, he moved to
1052:
615:
11 wickets for 24 against South Africa in
Melbourne in 1931–32
475:. In the 1914–15 season, he was the outstanding bowler in the
1083:
cricket season leading wicket-takers (1900–01 to 1949–50)
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He took 31 wickets in the 1931–32 South African series
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711:, Cricketbooks.com.au, Mount Eliza, 2019, p. 25.
650:in St Kilda bears his and Don Blackie's names.
411:(7 April 1882 – 31 May 1971) was an Australian
514:. They moved to Sydney, where he ran a pub in
1064:
1025:First-class matches played by Bert Ironmonger
8:
21:
471:, and was immediately selected to play for
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29:
20:
459:in 1914, accepting a position offered by
671:
660:List of Victoria first-class cricketers
487:Ironmonger resumed successfully after
758:"Bowling in Sheffield Shield 1914/15"
7:
1492:Cricketers from Ipswich, Queensland
593:11 wickets for 79 runs against the
499:, in less than 20 minutes, against
14:
1482:Melbourne Cricket Club cricketers
970:Richardson, Vic (16 March 1940).
709:Dainty: The Bert Ironmonger Story
646:, Melbourne. A grandstand at the
992:
604:9 wickets for 89 runs against
493:Australian team to New Zealand
463:as professional bowler at the
1:
166:23 February 1933 v
155:30 November 1928 v
642:Ironmonger died aged 89 in
1508:
871:"Sheffield Shield 1927–28"
178:Domestic team information
127:International information
1467:Australia Test cricketers
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1015:Tough in life and cricket
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148:Test debut (cap
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837:"Victoria v MCC 1924–25"
1419:Leading wicket-takers:
432:Ironmonger was born in
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534:Ironmonger joined the
465:Melbourne Cricket Club
1487:Australian cricketers
1472:Queensland cricketers
1396:Leading run-scorers:
1031:Oldest Test debutants
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529:St Kilda City Council
1431:1950–51 to 1999–2000
1421:1850–51 to 1899–1900
1408:1950–51 to 1999–2000
1398:1850–51 to 1899–1900
1001:at Wikimedia Commons
337:5 wickets in innings
38:Personal information
16:Australian cricketer
1477:Victoria cricketers
1040:Oldest Test players
1027:from CricketArchive
972:"A Cricket Tragedy"
817:Bonnell, pp. 69–71.
808:Bonnell, pp. 59–61.
799:Bonnell, pp. 56–57.
790:Bonnell, pp. 55–56.
729:Bonnell, pp. 35–41.
349:10 wickets in match
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1426:1900–01 to 1949–50
1403:1900–01 to 1949–50
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428:Before World War I
409:Herbert Ironmonger
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997:Media related to
483:After World War I
447:He only made his
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400:10 February 2020
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215:Career statistics
114:Left-arm off spin
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518:. He played for
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686:. 31 March 2008
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423:Life and career
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324:Bowling average
262:Batting average
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566:Ironmonger's
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536:St Kilda club
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1009:ESPNcricinfo
975:
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953:. Retrieved
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928:. Retrieved
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903:. Retrieved
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878:. Retrieved
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844:. Retrieved
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606:South Africa
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509:
505:Invercargill
486:
461:Hugh Trumble
446:
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417:Test cricket
415:. He played
408:
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396:ESPNcricinfo
360:Best bowling
77:(1971-05-31)
53:7 April 1882
18:
1462:1971 deaths
1457:1882 births
1081:first-class
1079:Australian
846:10 February
705:Max Bonnell
680:"Immovable"
595:West Indies
562:Test career
540:Don Blackie
489:World War I
449:first-class
250:Runs scored
233:First-class
224:Competition
106:Left-handed
89:, Australia
75:31 May 1971
1451:Categories
1361:1944–45: –
1358:1943–44: –
1355:1942–43: –
1196:1917–18: –
1193:1916–17: –
1190:1915–16: –
1186:Ironmonger
666:References
612:in 1931–32
601:in 1930–31
453:Queensland
451:debut for
442:Queensland
195:Queensland
61:Queensland
49:1882-04-07
1382:1948–49:
1376:1947–48:
1370:1946–47:
1364:1945–46:
1349:1941–42:
1343:1940–41:
1337:1939–40:
1331:1938–39:
1321:1937–38:
1311:1936–37:
1305:1935–36:
1299:1934–35:
1293:1933–34:
1287:1932–33:
1281:1931–32:
1275:1930–31:
1269:1929–30:
1263:1928–29:
1257:1927–28:
1251:1926–27:
1245:1925–26:
1239:1924–25:
1229:1923–24:
1223:1922–23:
1217:1921–22:
1211:1920–21:
1205:1919–20:
1199:1918–19:
1184:1914–15:
1178:1913–14:
1172:1912–13:
1166:1911–12:
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1126:1905–06:
1120:1904–05:
1114:1903–04:
1108:1902–03:
1102:1901–02:
1092:1900–01:
1007: at
599:Melbourne
547:hat-trick
501:Southland
413:cricketer
373:stumpings
285:Top score
201:1914–1936
191:1909–1913
163:Last Test
139:Australia
65:Australia
1351:O'Reilly
1345:O'Reilly
1339:Grimmett
1327:O'Reilly
1295:Grimmett
1289:O'Reilly
1283:Grimmett
1277:Grimmett
1271:Grimmett
1265:Grimmett
1259:Grimmett
1253:Williams
1247:Grimmett
1235:Williams
1231:Hartkopf
1219:McDonald
1201:McDonald
1180:Kelleway
1156:Saunders
1150:O'Connor
1144:Saunders
1140:Crawford
1110:Saunders
1094:Saunders
1044:Cricinfo
1035:Cricinfo
1020:Cricinfo
950:Cricinfo
925:Cricinfo
900:Cricinfo
654:See also
644:St Kilda
610:Brisbane
549:against
525:St Kilda
473:Victoria
469:St Kilda
457:Victoria
394:Source:
371:Catches/
274:100s/50s
205:Victoria
95:Nickname
87:Victoria
83:St Kilda
1384:Johnson
1134:Garnsey
1128:Garnsey
1122:Collins
1098:Travers
955:3 March
930:3 March
905:3 March
880:9 March
767:7 March
690:7 April
579:average
575:wickets
520:Balmain
516:Balmain
497:not out
438:Ipswich
436:, near
311:Wickets
239:Matches
168:England
157:England
111:Bowling
103:Batting
1378:Mankad
1372:Wright
1225:Mailey
1213:Mailey
1207:Hendry
1174:Massie
1168:Foster
1162:Whitty
1116:Rhodes
1104:Braund
577:at an
299:bowled
122:Bowler
98:Dainty
1366:Tribe
1042:from
1033:from
1018:from
331:21.50
328:17.97
305:27431
297:Balls
228:Tests
183:Years
1317:Ward
1307:Ward
1241:Tate
978:: 7.
957:2017
932:2017
907:2017
882:2020
848:2020
769:2020
692:2017
568:Test
380:31/0
366:8/31
363:7/23
302:4695
269:5.95
266:2.62
186:Team
119:Role
72:Died
43:Born
608:in
597:in
507:.
503:in
377:3/0
318:464
291:36*
280:0/0
277:0/0
256:476
150:125
1453::
974:.
948:.
923:.
898:.
873:.
839:.
760:.
707:,
682:.
440:,
398:,
355:11
344:36
315:74
288:12
253:42
245:96
242:14
85:,
63:,
59:,
1325:/
1315:/
1233:/
1142:/
1096:/
1072:e
1065:t
1058:v
959:.
934:.
909:.
884:.
850:.
771:.
694:.
352:2
341:4
152:)
51:)
47:(
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